This beer lived up the hype. A friend gave me a glass (I've never had Huna before and he didn't show me the bottle or tell me what it was until I was half way through and completely enjoying myself in the mystery.) Appearance was spot on, dark brown to almost black. The smell was full of bourbon with hints of spices. The taste follows the smell with even more spices up front. This became a smooth and chocolaty flavor as it went down. Mouth feel was on point with just enough carb to notice. Enjoyed every drop. One of my favorite beers to date. UDPATE: Enjoyed a vertical from 2012-2014 and much of the nose and spice faded as it was aged longer. I enjoyed it better around 9 months old. (704 characters)

Has rich aromas of chocolate, earthy, scorched malts, notes of molasses and a gentle coffee infusion, well balanced by unsweetened bakers chocolate.

Tastes of smooth, creamy chocolate, joined by toffeeish malts, evoking a mousse au chocolate impression, joined by a sweeter, calming, slightly wooden vanilla note. Has a hot peak, at first introduced by a decent hop bitterness, carried by a generous malt earthiness, transforming into a spicy, hot chili burn. This spiciness numbes the palate for a short glance, then revealing an interplay between a slick coffee bitterness and mellow, sweet chocolate. Finishes with a semi-dry aspect and cinnamon to it, including the taste of whole, burned coffee beans, dipped into hot chocolate. Burning, hot Jalapeno and cinnamon are sticking on the outside of my teeth, accompanied by a subtle sweetness. The balance of this brew is outstanding, regarding its complexity. There are no moments in which any off-flavors get revealed, or in which the beer turns into something odd, but its full body is defined by a great smoothness and diversified taste.

Huna '14

Re rate: spices are even more pronounced, hotter, with a burning, spicy peak to then, then I initially remembered them to be. Cinnamon and mousse au chocolate blend perfectly into the spices, with a wooden vanilla note on top, exhibiting a louscious, well suiting sweetness. Hops provide a slightly bitter, still hot, flavor, adding an appealing variety to the finish, among bready, slightly wooden malts. (1,634 characters)

A: Pours an incredibly thick and viscous pitch black. It's a cliche, but motor oil is the appropriate analogy. Serious legs on this one, and a thick film coats the glass. Khaki/mocha head that dissipates quickly into the darkness. Might be the darkest beer I've ever seen.

S: Bright notes of plums, cherries, and dark fruit; pleasant hints of vanilla, chocolate, and coffee; and lots of cinnamon. There's also a thick and heavy-ish aroma of booze, almost like rum. All of the foregoing might suggest an off-kilter, out-of-whack nose, but for all the intense aromas, the nose is incredibly restrained, well-balanced, and even mild. Just masterful stuff here.

T: The initial flavor is of creamy, slightly bitter coffee and chocolate, followed by dark fruits, thick vanilla, and a blast of cinnamon. Aftertaste is bitter coffee, cinnamon powder, and dark chocolate. Light and vegetal chili presence throughout. Final kick is a bit of heat down in my stomach. So many flavors working seamlessly together here. Delicious.

M: Rich, viscous, and light, and not thick, syrupy, or overwhelming. The beer is barely carbonated and almost flat, which works well for all the flavor this beer is packing.

O: Outstanding beer on every level. The aromas are so rich and pleasing, with each flavor playing off and complementing the others. The flavors are so decadent, so bold, yet so balanced and complementary. Who says you need a barrel to rule the world? (1,494 characters)

It is almost a blessing and a curse to be rated so well, you expect the impossible, but settle for just mortal greatness. After trying you understand that this favorite did, in fact, cover its spread. (201 characters)

this mythical beast finally found its way into my life. one of those whales you only read about, at least in my world, so to actually get to drink one was highly anticipated and a real special treat for me. im immediately surprised by how heady this is. lots of tiny bubbles accumulating on the surface of the dense but bright brown liquid. coffee stained head color, nice retention. the nose is incredibly layered, with the bitter roast of the grains coming first and foremost, followed next by a wave of smoky earthy moderately spicy chili pepper and cinnamon. i dont smell much chocolate in this, but it can certainly be tasted. the vanilla is subtle, but present throughout the aroma. booze, while high in content, is absent aromatically. the flavor is real well integrated with all of these additives. chili and cinnamon are both mild, but unmistakable. i like that they dont just flash in at the finish, but are constants throughout. the cocoa is both bitter and earthy, not sweet at all, and adds a richness to the beer. the grain itself seems bigger and darker than most other huge stouts, the base beer is undeniably awesome. vanilla gives moderate sweetness and a mature richness to the whole thing, while high carbonation keeps the prickle of the peppers coming back around and around. long flavorful finish, no heat at all on the swallow. im left feeling like i had something enormous and unexplained. seismic beer here, unlike any other. i though this was the pinnacle of the style, then i had the double barrel edition...

edit: had the wonderful experience of tasting a 2012, 2013, and 2014 side by side. it was amazing to me how quickly the cinnamon fades away over time, its almost absent from the 2013, and gone totally in the 2012. as a result, i thought the freshest year was the most dynamic. maybe one of those beers not meant to be cellared... (1,866 characters)

Im not much of a spiced beer fan but this was an EXCELLENT execution of such a recipe. I rate it at 4.25 because there are a few other spiced stouts Ive preferred over this but a fantastic offering none the less. (212 characters)

Aroma: Loads of cinnamon! Followed with some sweet chocolate, and then you notice the peppers coming in a little, finishes with a wonderful blend of cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla bean, coffee, and the chiles. Just from the smell I know this beer is going to be great! The cinnamon is the star of the aroma for sure! 5

Appearance: Pours pitch black like motor oil and leaves a small espresso colored head that dissipates quickly, how every imperial stout should look! 5

Taste: Yes! So complex! Up front you get this wonderful cinnamon and slight pepper blend, then you get sweet chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon combo, and finishes with all previous flavors mixed with a little more heat from the peppers, some coffee, and light hints of coconut. Finishes a little bitter, but the sweetness lingers and overcomes the bitterness quickly. I was a little unsure about the chiles, but damn they work well with this beer! The complexity of this beer so fantastic and all the flavors are so rich and indulging, this is definitely one of my new favorites and I need to get more! 5

Palate: This is the only part that I don't really like about this beer, with how sweet it is I would have love to seen a syrupy texture, but it is very thick and very dry. It makes you want to drink it rather fast instead of the beer letting you sit there and want to savor it, this beer truly needs to be savored while your drinking it and the mouthfeel contradicts that. That being said it finishes superbly for a dryer stout but, because I don't think the mouthfeel goes with this beer I give it. 4 since it still executes the dry stout feel so well.

O: This is a damn good beer, I would love to get my hands on a Double Barrel Huna to see what the barrel aging brings to this beer, overall this is an incredible stout and it is well worth the hassle getting one of these! (1,851 characters)

A: This pours like any other imperial stout I had, pitch black with a light mocha like head that decent duration. Good lacing.

S: Well, well, well, what do we have over here. This is something else. I've had REALLY good beers in my life, but this feels like a special moment. Although the smell is light, the main ingredients are there: cocoa, cinammon, vanilla, coconut, peppers, coffee, milk chocolate. And it all seems so damn COHERENT.

T: It's just like the smell, all that is supposed to be there, is there, and strong. You get a strong cocoa/coffee attack, with a wave of sweetness that comes with milk chocolate notes and vanilla, finishes with a light smoke and nice spicyness from the cinammon and peppers. This beer SHOULDN'T WORK. But it does, and it is all very coherent. A tiny bit of alcohol that helps with the aftertaste, amazing.

M: Tight heavy and luscious feel, very creamy and never sticky it seem.

D: Superbly drinkable for the style and the ABV.

This is my favourite beer of all time. Although it isn't perfect, it is the one that gave me the strongest and fondest memory I have of a beer. Amazing stuff that NEEDS to be more available. (1,176 characters)

Pours out like thick motor oil. Wonderful, black, with dark brown head. Smell is punching me in the face. Vanilla, chili-pepper skin, cinnamon, coffee and chocolate. Holy shit, the taste follows that exactly. So in your face. And the mouthfeel is out of this world. You could seriously chew in this beer. Hands down my favorite adjunct non-ba beer. Top 5 for sure. (364 characters)

2014. Thanks Chadwick for sharing. Pours pitch black with a thick mocha head that settles quickly into a foamy cap. Good lacing. Lots going on in the aroma - chocolate, coffee, vanilla, spiciness, roasted malt, and booze. Lots of roastiness on the tongue, dark chocolate, coffee and some decent chili heat make this a most complex stout. Full bodied with little carbonation. Overall, an extremely well crafted and incredibly complex stout. (439 characters)

I have been eager to try this beer for some time now. Pours with a deep dark black color. Aroma is complex with bits of cinnamon, vanilla and chocolate all coming through. Taste is amazing! It is very complete. The spice from the chilies is minor and gives a great little accent to the chocolate, vanilla sweet that takes center stage. (344 characters)

Finally excited to review one of my favorite beers. I've managed a handful of sample pours via bottle shares, looking forward to a full glass / bottle. This is a 2014, first batch, poured into a Hunahpu's glass.

A: Pours black with half a finger of a dense dark khaki head that reduces slowly and leaves a very thin collar. S: Huge wafts of chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla. In the back ground I get a lot of roast and coffee. T: Sweet chocolate up front with a pleasant lingering cinnamon after taste. There are layers of flavor going on here, roast somewhere in the middle, but for me it's all about the chocolate cinnamon holding it all together. M: Thick, rich, and creamy. O: As stated, I already knew going in that this is one of my favorites, and nothing has changed after enjoying more than a few sips. (818 characters)

S - Chocolate, oak, vanilla, carmel and on the back end comes those chili's, very pleasant on the nose

T - Extremely balanced between the chili, vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon, and vanilla. This is much more balanced than I found Abraxas to be as that was a cinnamon bomb. The finish was where the spice came from.

M - Very thick full bodied mouthfeel with a creamy finish

O - This is my second favorite chili stout as of now. Just behind bomb! and ahead of Abraxas

Update: 2014 Bottle

Much better than the 2013 bottle that I consumed on christmas

Much more balance here between the cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla mix. The cinnamon is more forward with a small amount of heat on the finish.

Luscious chewy thick mouthfeel and it coats the mouth as well as stains the glass.

This is definitely up there now with Mexi Cake, the mouthfeel is better than Mexi cake, this would be borderline perfect of there were more heat on the finish.

A) Extremely, extremely dark. Light does not escape this beer, and only a slight tinge of amber on the outside rim. Almost the appearance of a thick motor oil. How an imperial stout should look.

S) Front loaded with heavy scents of dark fruits, particularly plum. This is followed by less prominent smells of cocoa nibs, cinnamon, and chilis, in that order. Probably the most complex nose of any beer I've experienced.

T) The immediate thing I notice is the heavy dark fruit sweetness that I felt in the nose, almost immediately followed by thick dark malt, and the flavors of the chilis. The chili flavor only has a hint of heat, but it's a warmness that lingers long into the aftertaste. I don't immediately taste the cinnamon or vanilla, but detect both in the incredibly long aftertaste that lingers with this beer. My only real complaint is that the cocoa nibs lead to a bitterness that detracts a bit from the overall balance on this. The aftertaste is longer than almost anything I've had before, including even Islay or lowland malt scotches. Lasts for ages.

M) Thick, oily, amazing. The oiliness doesn't waterdown as it lingers on the tongue as some can. While well carbonated, you can barely detect it even when leaving on the tongue. Just an incredible feeling on this one.

O) Admittedly not quite what I expected, especially noting the strength of the fruit scents and taste. That said, I find little I can actually fault in this one. I wish the cinnamon and vanilla were a bit more prominent and the cocoa nibs were a bit less, but those are fairly minor complaints considering the overall complexity of this beer. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on one, do not pass up the chance. Well worth it. (1,765 characters)

Very very good! Pours with no foam. Super dark chocolate brown. Smells of vanilla and a little coffee. The flavor is excellent. Almost everything is in balance: a little too much pepper, but cinnamon, vanilla, cacao just right. Gets even better as it warms. There's mild bourbon-like flavor. Vanilla? Then, there's a strong but not overwhelming pepper burn on the end.Overall, a great beer. I want to drink this head to head with other non-BA pepper beers like Bomb!, and whatever else I have that is comparable.Update:Went head to head w/ Abraxas! Very close. Thicker almost viscous compared to Abraxas, more lingering pepper heat, more carbonation, more vanilla. Geez, this is too close to choose. Both are excellent. (723 characters)

Pours pitch black, bubbling up a great one finger dark brown head, lingers for a while until it turns to a thick sticky lacing.Huge cocoa in the smell, lots of cinnamon and vanilla, milky and dark chocolate, fig, raisin, veggie chilli pepper, lower coffee notes, faint wood. The smell is incredible, with just a small hint of booze.Roasty robust taste, huge with dark chocolate, riddled with dry plums and figs, spicy with a lot of woody cinnamon, rich vanilla, even faint licorice. Mellows down and gets a bit sweeter, with sticky molasses and toffee, only to be balanced perfectly in the end with some roasted coffee, dark malts and faint smoked woodiness. The chillies bring a nice warm prickle in the back of the throat, just enough so you know they're there. Taste really brings up all that's written on the label, amplified, rich and perfectly balanced.Thick body, very smooth, with a very tiny bit of booze present, nowhere near disturbing. Full complex aftertaste, extra roasty. A huge imperial stout, unique, worth any effort and future budget-hole to get again. (1,075 characters)

A- Pours extremely thick and pitch black in color. A head of deep brown color and incredible density forms and retains very well with a little less lacing. Looks so thick and dark in the glass that it almost appears as liquid chocolate.

S- Tons of chocolate andspicy pepper on the nose of the this one. Chocolate is right up front, with the pepper spiciness underlying it. Coffee tones come in after the chocolate and pepper and give the scent a darkness that transforms into a dark fruity flavor.

T- Starts off with a chocolate and vanilla blend of both dark and sweet flavors. Roasted coffee notes and burnt malt flavors come in next and provide a darkness and bitterness to the flavor. Spicy peppers kick in during the latter half of the drink, giving a little bite and burn to the dark malts.

M- This beer is the definition of a thick and creamy beer. Despite the carbonation being a little higher than one would expect, this feels almost like it came off of a cask. Dark flavors are the only factors that would inhibit the drinkability of this beer, as the alcohol is undetectable.

Overall, just a solid, imperial stout with some peppers. Chocolate and peppers in stouts are good compliments, and this is a good to great beer, but nothing extremely out of the ordinary. (1,278 characters)